Other lordship · Contested ground · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Pag

Pag, the long bare island off Zara's coast, matters for its salt and for its position on the sea road to Zara.

Zara held most of it, and the northern end round Lun faced Arbe. Venice lost it in 1190, and in September 1193 Doge Dandolo's commander Domenico Michiel occupied it and then appeared before Zara. Whether Venice still held Pag on 1 January 1200, or Zara had taken it back, is not recorded. It is drawn as contested ground in the unfinished war for Zara.

Who he is

Title
Disputed between Venice and Zara (with Arbe's claim to the north of the island)
Confidence
low

English Wikipedia (War for Zadar): Venice lost Pag in 1190 and Domenico Michiel's fleet occupied it in September 1193.

Overlord

Venice (by the occupation of 1193) or the Hungarian crown through Zara

What it holds

  • The island of Pag with its salt flats, its old town (the later Stari Grad, a free royal town only from 1244) and Novalja; Lun at the northern tip.

How it was acquired

Occupied by Venice in September 1193.

Allies and rivals

Venice against Zara and the Hungarian crown.

How things stand that morning

Not pinned: Venetian since 1193 unless Zara recovered it.

Wealth

Sea salt (the great salt works are recorded from the 13th century), sheep and cheese.

Military

No castle recorded.

Threats

  • The war for Zara (no truce known).

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. November 1202 (later)The fall of Zara to Venice and the crusaders settles the island for Venice.Depends on: The Fourth Crusade sailing with Venice. Stopped by: The crusade not sailing.

Places of note

  • Pag: The island's chief place by its salt flats (the old town lay just south of the modern one).

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Two dated events (1190, 1193); nothing for 1194-1201.

On the map: Drawn as contested because its holder is unknown; no fighting on Pag is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200.

Sources and studies

  1. War for Zadar (1181-1202) (English Wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.